By
Rebecca Missel
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Students agree and consider alternatives
Students who like chatting on their cell phones while cruising down the street may not be able to do that anymore.
Suffolk County, N.Y. has banned the use of hand-held cell phones in cars. Every time a driver is caught on a non-emergency call, the person is fined $150.
"It's addicting," said Deborah Maytorena, mobile communications sales specialist for the UofA Bookstore. "Instead of waiting to get to your friend's house to make a call, you can do it on the way."
In August, the University of Arizona Bookstore sold more than 200 cell phones on campus.
Maytorena said cell phones certainly interfere with driving, but it would be impossible to totally outlaw their use.
"Banning is silly," she said. "You can't make people not use it."
Over the last few months, people buying phones from the bookstore have been purchasing ear buds to make driving with cell phones safer.
"About 90 percent of the people buy cigarette lighter adapters, but only 40 percent get ear buds," she said. "The hands-free speaker phone is best."
The Arizona Department of Public Safety has not conducted any studies or released any statistics on the correlation between cell phone use and automobile accidents, but Kevin Wood, the department's public information officer said it is definitely a distraction.
"DPS is concerned about anyone being distracted from driving whether it's looking in the mirror, bending over for coffee or talking on the cell phone," he said.
Wood also said that cell phone use is particularly prevalent among young people who are less experienced drivers.
"You're inside a 2,000-pound vehicle and the most important thing is to drive," he said.
Ryan Gribbon, an interdisciplinary studies sophomore, owns a cell phone but does not use it when he drives.
"I don't like them, I call them 'bitch phones,'" he said. "If I do get a call, I pull over to the side of the road."
However, Gribbon said using cell phones in the car is a personal decision that should not be controlled by legislation.
"If you feel you're safe enough, then drive," he said.
Both on the road and in class, cell phones are a distraction, said Kyle Tusing, assistant professor of communication.
At least once a week in class, a student's cell phone rings, he said.
"Half the students have their arm held up to their head," Tusing said.
Rather than totally banning cell phone use in cars, he said he supported a hands-free kit or some other method that would not impair people's ability to drive.
"You only have two hands," he said. "How are you supposed to shift?"
For students like Jon McLaughlin, a graphic design junior, a cell phone is not often necessary.
"I'm always near a real phone," he said. "But if you're on the highway and you break down it's kinda cool."
However, McLaughlin agreed that using a cell phone while driving does cause accidents because people are not paying attention.
The constant connection a cell phone provides has kept Alisha Dunnavant, an education freshman, from owning one.
"It's a big hassle because the phone is always ringing and it's always there," she said. "People can always get a hold of you."
Dunnavant also said that cell phone use in the car can be alright if drivers are responsible.
"It depends on the person and how much they can handle," she said. "If it's just talking for leisure then there's no reason for it."
